After reading about ACTEMRA, please talk to your healthcare provider if you have any questions.

What is ACTEMRA?

ACTEMRA is a prescription medicine that targets the interleukin-6 (IL-6) signaling pathway.

ACTEMRA is used to treat:

Adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after at least one other medicine called a Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drug (DMARD) has been used and did not work well.

Adults with giant cell arteritis (GCA).

People with active PJIA ages 2 and above.

People with active SJIA ages 2 and above.

ACTEMRA is not approved for subcutaneous use in people with PJIA or SJIA.

It is not known if ACTEMRA is safe and effective in children with PJIA or SJIA under 2 years of age or in children with conditions other than PJIA or SJIA.

ACTEMRA can cause serious side effects

ACTEMRA changes the way your immune system works. This can make you more likely to get infections or make any current infection worse. Some people have serious infections while taking ACTEMRA, including tuberculosis (TB), and infections caused by bacteria, fungi, or viruses that can spread throughout the body. Some people have died from these infections. Your healthcare provider should test you for TB before starting ACTEMRA.

Before taking ACTEMRA, tell your healthcare provider if you have:

An infection, think you may have an infection, are being treated for an infection, or get a lot of infections that return. Infection signs, with or without a fever, include sweating or chills; shortness of breath; warm, red or painful skin or sores on your body; feeling very tired; muscle aches; blood in phlegm; diarrhea or stomach pain; cough; weight loss; burning when you urinate or urinating more often than normal

Any of the following conditions that may give you a higher chance of getting infections. These include diabetes, HIV, or a weak immune system

Tuberculosis (TB) or have been in close contact with someone who has TB. Your healthcare provider should test you for TB before starting ACTEMRA and during treatment with ACTEMRA

Lived in or currently live in parts of the United States known for fungal infections. These parts include the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys and the Southwest

Hepatitis B or have had hepatitis B

Be sure to contact your healthcare provider or nurse if you see any signs of these side effects.

Stomach tears

If you have diverticulitis (inflammation in parts of the large intestine), talk to your healthcare provider before taking ACTEMRA.

Some people taking ACTEMRA may develop a hole in the wall of their stomach or intestines (also known as a perforation). This happens most often in people who also take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids, or methotrexate.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you see any of these side effects: fever, stomach-area pain that does not go away, or if you see a change in your bowel habits.

Changes in blood test results

Your healthcare provider should do blood tests before you start receiving ACTEMRA. If you have rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or giant cell arteritis (GCA) your healthcare provider should do blood tests 4 to 8 weeks after you start receiving ACTEMRA and then every 3 months after that. If you have polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (PJIA) you will have blood tests done every 4 to 8 weeks during treatment. If you have systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA) you will have blood tests done every 2 to 4 weeks during treatment. These blood tests are to check for the following side effects of ACTEMRA:

low neutrophil count. Neutrophils are white blood cells that help the body fight off bacterial infections.

low platelet count. Platelets are blood cells that help with blood clotting and stop bleeding.

increase in certain liver function tests.

increase in blood cholesterol levels. You may also have changes in other laboratory tests, such as your blood cholesterol levels. Your healthcare provider should do blood tests to check your cholesterol levels 4 to 8 weeks after you start receiving ACTEMRA, and then every 6 months after that.

You should not receive ACTEMRA if your neutrophil and platelet counts are too low or your liver function test levels are too high. Your healthcare provider may stop your ACTEMRA treatment for a period of time or change your dose of medicine if needed because of changes in these blood test results.

Increased risk of cancer

ACTEMRA may increase your risk of certain cancers by changing the way your immune system works.

Hepatitis B infection

If you have hepatitis B, a virus that affects the liver, or are a carrier of the virus, ACTEMRA can cause the virus to become active. Your healthcare provider should test you for hepatitis B before starting treatment. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you see any signs of these symptoms: feeling very tired, vomiting, chills, dark urine, skin or eyes look yellow, clay-colored bowel movements, stomach discomfort, skin rash, little or no appetite, fevers, or muscle aches.

Serious allergic reactions

Serious allergic reactions, including death, can happen with ACTEMRA infusions or injections, even if they did not occur with an earlier infusion or injection. If you had hives, a rash, or experienced flushing after injecting, you should tell your healthcare provider or nurse before your next injection.

Contact 911 immediately, as well as your healthcare provider or nurse, if you experience any of these reactions: shortness of breath or trouble breathing; swelling of the lips, tongue or face; chest pain; feeling dizzy or faint; moderate or severe abdominal pain or vomiting.

Nervous system problems

While rare, multiple sclerosis has been diagnosed in some people taking ACTEMRA.

Most common side effects

Tell your healthcare provider if you have these or any other side effect that bothers you or does not go away: upper respiratory tract infections (like common cold and sinus infections), headache, increased blood pressure (also called hypertension), and injection site reactions.

ACTEMRA & pregnancy

Tell your healthcare provider if you are planning to become pregnant, are pregnant, plan to breast-feed, or are breast-feeding. You and your healthcare provider should decide if you will take ACTEMRA or breast-feed. You should not do both. If you are pregnant and taking ACTEMRA, join the pregnancy registry. The purpose of this registry is to check the health of the pregnant mother and her baby. To learn more, call 1-877-311-8972 or talk to your healthcare provider to register.

Reporting side effects

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you are experiencing any side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.FDA.gov/medwatch. You may also call Genentech at 1-888-835-2555.

What to Expect

When could your child expect some relief?

It’s important to keep in mind that individual results may vary.

So when your child is taking ACTEMRA, be sure to keep up with his or
her infusion and blood test appointments. Staying on top of your
child’s treatment plan is the best way to get the most out of ACTEMRA.

At every infusion

Pay attention to how your child is feeling during and after every
infusion appointment. And let your rheumatologist or nurse know right
away if your child is having any reactions.

Important Safety Information

Serious allergic reactions, including death, can happen with
ACTEMRA. These reactions can happen with any infusion of ACTEMRA, even
if they did not occur with an earlier infusion. Seek medical attention
right away if your child has any sign of a serious allergic reaction
including shortness of breath or trouble breathing; swelling of the
lips, tongue, or face; chest pain; feeling dizzy or faint; or moderate
or severe abdominal pain or vomiting.

Help your child stay up to date

SAFETY FIRST

Before reading more, please see the Important Side Effect Information for ACTEMRA

This information does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider about your medical condition or your treatment.

INDICATION AND IMPORTANT SIDE EFFECT INFORMATION

What is ACTEMRA?

ACTEMRA is a prescription medicine that targets the interleukin-6 (IL-6) signaling pathway. ACTEMRA is used to treat:

Adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after at least one other medicine called a Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drug (DMARD) has been used and did not work well.

Adults with giant cell arteritis (GCA).

People with active PJIA ages 2 and above.

People with active SJIA ages 2 and above.

ACTEMRA is not approved for subcutaneous use in people with PJIA or SJIA.

It is not known if ACTEMRA is safe and effective in children with PJIA or SJIA under 2 years of age or in children with conditions other than PJIA or SJIA.

What is the most important information I should know about ACTEMRA?

ACTEMRA can cause serious side effects including:

1. Serious Infections.

ACTEMRA is a medicine that affects your immune system. ACTEMRA can lower the ability of your immune system to fight infections. Some people have serious infections while taking ACTEMRA, including tuberculosis (TB), and infections caused by bacteria, fungi, or viruses that can spread throughout the body. Some people have died from these infections.

Your healthcare provider should test you for TB before starting ACTEMRA.

Your healthcare provider should monitor you closely for signs and symptoms of TB during treatment with ACTEMRA.

You should not start taking ACTEMRA if you have any kind of infection unless your healthcare provider says it is okay.

Before starting ACTEMRA, tell your healthcare provider if you:

think you have an infection or have symptoms of an infection, with or without a fever, such as:

sweating or chills

shortness of breath

warm, red, or painful skin or sores on your body

feel very tired

muscle aches

blood in phlegm

diarrhea or stomach pain

cough

weight loss

burning when you urinate or urinating more often than normal

are being treated for an infection

get a lot of infections or have infections that keep coming back

have diabetes, HIV, or a weak immune system. People with these conditions have a higher chance for infections.

have TB, or have been in close contact with someone with TB

live or have lived, or have traveled to certain parts of the country (such as the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys and the Southwest) where there is an increased chance for getting certain kinds of fungal infections (histoplasmosis, coccidiomycosis, or blastomycosis). These infections may happen or become more severe if you use ACTEMRA. Ask your healthcare provider, if you do not know if you have lived in an area where these infections are common.

have or have had hepatitis B

After starting ACTEMRA, call your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms of an infection. ACTEMRA can make you more likely to get infections or make worse any infection that you have.

2. Tears (perforation) of the stomach or intestines.

Tell your healthcare provider if you have had diverticulitis (inflammation in parts of the large intestine) or ulcers in your stomach or intestines. Some people taking ACTEMRA get tears in their stomach or intestine. This happens most often in people who also take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids, or methotrexate.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have fever and stomach-area pain that does not go away, and a change in your bowel habits.

3. Changes in certain laboratory test results.

Your healthcare provider should do blood tests before you start receiving ACTEMRA. If you have rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or giant cell arteritis (GCA) your healthcare provider should do blood tests 4 to 8 weeks after you start receiving ACTEMRA and then every 3 months after that. If you have polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (PJIA) you will have blood tests done every 4 to 8 weeks during treatment. If you have systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA) you will have blood tests done every 2 to 4 weeks during treatment. These blood tests are to check for the following side effects of ACTEMRA:

low neutrophil count. Neutrophils are white blood cells that help the body fight off bacterial infections.

low platelet count. Platelets are blood cells that help with blood clotting and stop bleeding.

increase in certain liver function tests.

increase in blood cholesterol levels. You may also have changes in other laboratory tests, such as your blood cholesterol levels. Your healthcare provider should do blood tests to check your cholesterol levels 4 to 8 weeks after you start receiving ACTEMRA, and then every 6 months after that.

You should not receive ACTEMRA if your neutrophil or platelet counts are too low or your liver function tests are too high.

Your healthcare provider may stop your ACTEMRA treatment for a period of time or change your dose of medicine if needed because of changes in these blood test results.

4. Cancer.

ACTEMRA may increase your risk of certain cancers by changing the way your immune system works. Tell your healthcare provider if you have ever had any type of cancer.

See “What are the possible side effects with ACTEMRA?” for more information about side effects.

Who should not take ACTEMRA?

Do not take ACTEMRA: if you are allergic to tocilizumab, or any of the ingredients in ACTEMRA. See the end of this Medication Guide for a complete list of ingredients in ACTEMRA.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before receiving ACTEMRA?

Before you receive ACTEMRA, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

have an infection. See “What is the most important information I should know about ACTEMRA?”

have liver problems.

have any stomach-area (abdominal) pain or been diagnosed with diverticulitis or ulcers in your stomach or intestines.

have had a reaction to tocilizumab or any of the ingredients in ACTEMRA before.

have or had a condition that affects your nervous system, such as multiple sclerosis.

have recently received or are scheduled to receive a vaccine.

All vaccines should be brought up-to-date before starting ACTEMRA.

People who take ACTEMRA should not receive live vaccines.

People taking ACTEMRA can receive non-live vaccines.

plan to have surgery or a medical procedure.

have any other medical conditions.

plan to become pregnant or are pregnant. It is not known if ACTEMRA will harm your unborn baby.Pregnancy Registry: Genentech has a registry for pregnant women who take ACTEMRA. The purpose of this registry is to check the health of the pregnant mother and her baby. If you are pregnant or become pregnant while taking ACTEMRA, talk to your healthcare provider about how you can join this pregnancy registry or you may contact the registry at 1-877-311-8972 to enroll.

plan to breastfeed or are breastfeeding. You and your healthcare provider should decide if you will take ACTEMRA or breastfeed. You should not do both.

Tell your healthcare provider about all of the medicines you take, including prescription, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements. ACTEMRA and other medicines may affect each other causing side effects.

Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take:

any other medicines to treat your RA. You should not take etanercept (Enbrel®), adalimumab (Humira®), infliximab (Remicade®), rituximab (Rituxan®), abatacept (Orencia®), anakinra (Kineret®), certolizumab (Cimzia®), or golimumab (Simponi®), while you are taking ACTEMRA. Taking ACTEMRA with these medicines may increase your risk of infection.

medicines that affect the way certain liver enzymes work. Ask your healthcare provider if you are not sure if your medicine is one of these.

Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them to show to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.

How will I receive ACTEMRA?

Into a vein (IV or intravenous infusion) for Rheumatoid Arthritis, PJIA, or SJIA:

If your healthcare provider prescribes ACTEMRA as an IV infusion, you will receive ACTEMRA from a healthcare provider through a needle placed in a vein in your arm. The infusion will take about 1 hour to give you the full dose of medicine.

For rheumatoid arthritis or PJIA you will receive a dose of ACTEMRA about every 4 weeks.

For SJIA you will receive a dose of ACTEMRA about every 2 weeks.

While taking ACTEMRA, you may continue to use other medicines that help treat your rheumatoid arthritis, PJIA, or SJIA such as methotrexate, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and prescription steroids, as instructed by your healthcare provider.

Keep all of your follow-up appointments and get your blood tests as ordered by your healthcare provider.

Under the skin (SC or subcutaneous injection) for Rheumatoid Arthritis or Giant Cell Arteritis:

See the Instructions for Use at the end of this Medication Guide for instructions about the right way to prepare and give your ACTEMRA injections at home.

ACTEMRA is available as a single-use Prefilled Syringe.

You may also receive ACTEMRA as injection under your skin (subcutaneous). If your healthcare provider decides that you or a caregiver can give your injections of ACTEMRA at home, you or your caregiver should receive training on the right way to prepare and inject ACTEMRA. Do not try to inject ACTEMRA until you have been shown the right way to give the injections by your healthcare provider.

Your healthcare provider will tell you how much ACTEMRA to use and when to use it.

What are the possible side effects with ACTEMRA?

ACTEMRA can cause serious side effects, including:

See “What is the most important information I should know about ACTEMRA?”

Hepatitis B infection in people who carry the virus in their blood. If you are a carrier of the hepatitis B virus (a virus that affects the liver), the virus may become active while you use ACTEMRA. Your doctor may do blood tests before you start treatment with ACTEMRA and while you are using ACTEMRA. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any of the following symptoms of a possible hepatitis B infection:

feel very tired

vomiting

chills

dark urine

skin or eyes look yellow

clay-colored bowel movements

stomach discomfort

skin rash

little or no appetite

fevers

muscle aches

Serious Allergic Reactions. Serious allergic reactions, including death, can happen with ACTEMRA. These reactions can happen with any infusion or injection of ACTEMRA, even if they did not occur with an earlier infusion or injection. Tell your healthcare provider before your next dose if you had hives, rash or flushing after your injection. Seek medical attention right away if you have any of the following signs of a serious allergic reaction:

shortness of breath or trouble breathing

swelling of the lips, tongue, or face

chest pain

feeling dizzy or faint

moderate or severe abdominal pain or vomiting

Nervous system problems. While rare, Multiple Sclerosis has been diagnosed in people who take ACTEMRA. It is not known what effect ACTEMRA may have on some nervous system disorders.

The most common side effects of ACTEMRA include:

upper respiratory tract infections (common cold, sinus infections)

headache

increased blood pressure (hypertension)

injection site reactions

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

You may also report side effects to Genentech at 1-888-835-2555.

General information about the safe and effective use of ACTEMRA.

Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in a Medication Guide. Do not give ACTEMRA to other people, even if they have the same symptoms that you have. It may harm them. You can ask your pharmacist or healthcare provider for information about ACTEMRA that is written for health professionals.

References

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